Improvement in artificial marbles



UNITED S'IlATIilS PATENTQFFIGE.

JAMES E. SMITH AND JAMES DOUGLASS, or PORT HURON, moment.

3 mmovm m ARTI FlClAL Manatee.

. I Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 189,385, dated September 19, 1676; application filed Aug net 16. 1876.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JAMES H. SMITH and.

.JAMES H. DOUGLASS, of Port Huron, in the county of St. Clair and State of Michigan, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Artificial Marbles and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable others skilled in-the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference be-' The elements of the combination oringre dients which we use are as follows: White gum-shellac, fish-glue, isinglass, ashestus, guiu arabic, plaster of-paris, Keenes cement, (a well-known article of commerce,) andvarious mineral colors, with water sufficient to make the mixture plastic.

The method of preparation or proces of manuf .ctnre is as follows: We take of Keenes .ccment tire-parts, and add to it one part of plaster-of-paris, mixing and moisteniug these ingredients to the consistency of paste with 8 solution composed of equal parts or quantities of gnm-arabic, fish-glue, isinglass, pulverized o'r disintegrated asbestus, and white gum-shellac dissolved in soda-water. After the whole compound is mixed together we divide the mass into portions convenient for handling, and to each portion we add sufiicieut wet mineral coloring-matter to give it the desired shades, the colors va ying'according to the kind of marble it is desired to imitate. i

The masses of material thus prepared with ditl'erent shades or colors are then thrown alternately into molds until a suflicieut depth or thickness is obtained on the face of the mold. The balance of the space in the moldis then filled up with Keenes cement, fine or of two witnesses.

coarse, as found most convenient, said cemen being mixed and combined with plaster-ofparis in the same proportion, fllldlllOlfitBIlBd to the consistency of mortar with the same i solution as before specified. This part of the, process may be best accomplished with the ordinary trowel. p

The process of finishing and polishing our improved artificial marble does not differ in any material respect from'that usually followed. A fine surface is formed by rubbing with pumice or other suitable stone, all imperfections in the casting being removed or filled up with the same material, after which it is polished by any of the well-known meth ods in use for polishing m'arble,o r it maybe; finished by varnishingfla well-known process specially adapted tbr'fiuishing artificial marble.

This artificial'marble may be used as a facing in combination with a backing of wood, slate, or other material; or the article to be produced may be entirely made of the artifi:

cial marble, as herein described.

It will also be obvious that a great variety of useful articles may be made of this compound material, which will have the appearance of natural marble, the cost 'of production being trifling compared with the cost of the natural marble.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

An artificial marble made of Kecnes cement, plaster-of-pnris, fish-glue, isinglas's, gumshellac, asbestus, gum-arabic, and wet mineral colors, prepared and molded in the'manner substantially as and for the purpose specified.

' In testimony that we claim the foregoing as our own we atfix our siguaturesin presence JAMEs rLsMrrH. JAMES H. DOUGLASS.

Witnesses:

GHARLE R. Baown B. U. Fmaum. 

